Ferns Castle Visitor Centre, Wexford

Great Saltee Island Ogham Stone

Ferns Castle Visitor Centre

Ogham Stone, Stone Cross, Cross Slab

The visitor centre at Ferns Castle is only open for a short period during the summer months. If you get a chance I would strongly recommend you drop in. On display in the centre are three really interesting antiquities. The pulvinar ogham stone, pictured left, was discovered on the Great Saltee Island. When hearing about the ogham stone someone tried to steal it, hoping they would financially gain. After sailing into a gale they dropped the stone into the sea. Fortunately it was rescued and was in the care of the parish priest of Piercetown, when Macalister took a reading in 1937. The inscription reads:

"LONAMNI AVI BARI "

The stone is roughly 0.85 metres by 0.25 metres.

The Raheenlusk Stone Cross, pictured above left, stood on the border between Raheenlusk and Killannaduff. It was moved to the museum in Enniscorthy sometime after 1948. One face of the 0.54 metre high cross, features a marigold motif at the centre of the crux. Pictured above left is a cross slab from Beggerin Island. The ruins of the church stand on the Wexford Wildfowl Reserve. The badly weathered slab has a cross in relief with a triangular base on one side, far right. The other side features a Maltese cross at the centre of the head, with two figurative panels below. The lowest panel has a single horseman. Harbison suggests a 9th century date for this slab.

Situated: On the grounds of Ferns Castle. The castle is situated at the top of the hill in Ferns just off the N11 and is well sign-posted.

Discovery Map 69: T 0164 4985. Last visit Aug 2017.

Longitude: 6° 29' 60" W

Latitude: 52° 35' 26" N

Google Map

Photos: Jim Dempsey.


Great Saltee Island Ogham Stone	Ferns Castle Visitor Centre Ogham Stone, Stone Cross, Cross Slab The visitor centre at Ferns Castle is only open for a short period during the summer months. If you get a chance I would strongly recommend you drop in. On display in the centre are three really interesting antiquities. The pulvinar ogham stone, pictured left, was discovered on the Great Saltee Island. When hearing about the ogham stone someone tried to steal it, hoping they would financially gain. After sailing into a gale they dropped the stone into the sea. Fortunately it was rescued and was in the care of the parish priest of Piercetown, when Macalister took a reading in 1937. The inscription reads: "LONAMNI AVI BARI " The stone is roughly 0.85 metres by 0.25 metres.
The Raheenlusk Stone Cross, pictured above left, stood on the border between Raheenlusk and Killannaduff. It was moved to the museum in Enniscorthy sometime after 1948. One face of the 0.54 metre high cross, features a marigold motif at the centre of the crux. Pictured above left is a cross slab from Beggerin Island. The ruins of the church stand on the Wexford Wildfowl Reserve. The badly weathered slab has a cross in relief with a triangular base on one side, far right. The other side features a Maltese cross at the centre of the head, with two figurative panels below. The lowest panel has a single horseman. Harbison suggests a 9th century date for this slab.
Situated: On the grounds of Ferns Castle. The castle is situated at the top of the hill in Ferns just off the N11 and is well sign-posted. Discovery Map 69: T 0164 4985. Last visit Aug 2017. Longitude: 6° 29' 60" W Latitude: 52° 35' 26" N Google Map Photos: Jim Dempsey.